ARMED robbers held a young family at gun-point in a terrifying dawn raid on a Post Office.

Postmaster James Pilling, together with his wife and seven-year-old son, were attacked when they pulled up in a car outside Monton Post Office, Monton Road, on Saturday morning.

A masked man armed with a sawn-off shotgun smashed the window, pointing the barrel at Mr Pilling and forced the whole family inside to open up the safe.

A shaken Mr Pilling told The Advertiser: "We pulled up outside the Post Office, then suddenly these guys appeared. One had a gun in his hand - I could see him in my rear view mirror. I locked the car doors and just said to my wife, 'we are going to get attacked'. He then shoved the shotgun straight through the car window."

The raiders marched the family inside and forced Mr Pilling to hand over the takings, before making off with an undisclosed amount of cash. They were not able to take anything from the Post Office safes, as they are time-locked, but they drove off with cash in a silver Rover hatchback at about 8.30am.

The raid has shocked Mr Pilling's wife. She is now off work and their seven-year-old son Alex is too traumatised to return to Monton Green school.

However, the couple's daughter, 11-year-old Elizabeth, escaped the raid because she was staying over at a friend's house. Mr Pilling added: "The children usually come down with us because they are too young to stay on their own, but my wife and Alex are traumatised.

"I'm more annoyed by the whole thing because they have no right to be doing stuff like that. We are providing a service for everyone and we are just doing our jobs - then scum like that come in and attack you."

Insp Geoff Wessell, of Swinton Police, said: "It was an extremely traumatic occurrence for the family that could have had even more serious implications. The offenders showed absolutely no regard at all for the family."